Prostate Cancer Screening

Any adult man can have prostate cancer. However, advancing age is the biggest risk factor.

There is limited evidence that screening all men for prostate cancer yields reductions in prostate cancer deaths, but some groups of men are at particularly high risk for the disease, such as African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer.

All men should discuss with their primary care provider whether prostate cancer screening is appropriate and worthwhile for them.

What Does Prostate Cancer Screening Involve?

Prostate cancer screening consists of two simple tests:

• Digital Rectal Exam (DRE): your doctor will check for lumps or other changes that could indicate cancer.
• Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test: this simple blood test measures the amount of a particular substance in your blood that may indicate prostate cancer.